e36 weird high

Hi all , find some weird rear view from My E36 320i just this morning after full fill it with gasoline,my old lady a bit slant to the right side.
measure it from rear fender lips to wheel hub Center found about 1" differences left and right, the right side more close to the ground , what it can be causing the problem:
1. Shock absorber
2. Coil Spring
3. Stabilizer
thanks for advice

wat

EDIT: Are you trying to say your car is leaning more on one side?

Yap...to the right side,same condition once the gas is half or empty ( I just finish it with long journey

Noted for above will go under her and check for the same, any way can shock absorber causing this problem

Passengers?

If not I would get under and inspect for anything that may have come unbloted. A cm or 2 might be normal but an inch is not.

Originally Posted by TRaV MaNN

Passengers?

If not I would get under and inspect for anything that may have come unbloted. A cm or 2 might be normal but an inch is not.

Not to nitpick, but 2 cm is practically an inch....

Originally Posted by E36 Phantom

Not to nitpick, but 2 cm is practically an inch....

What she doesn't know won't hurt her....

Could be your rear spring not seated in properly ... Or a different size tire on one side?

Isnt the drivers side supposed to sit slightly higher so that when you sit in it, it evens out? But an inch is exessive.

Originally Posted by death2000

isnt the drivers side supposed to sit slightly higher so that when you sit in it, it evens out? But an inch is exessive.

+1

Originally Posted by pjbimmer

the coolant pump (water pump) will either fail or start leaking around 75k.

The upper radiator hose from the thermostat housing will break.

The cooling system may require several bleed sessions to completely rid the system of air. The coolant low indication will appear on the obc.

The vanos rattles like pebbles in a tin can.

The valve train sounds like a diesel after sitting for a few days or on cold morning start ups use thicker oil (15-50).

The brake pad sensors do not require replacement unless the brake pad symbol is illuminated in the instrument cluster.

The brake circuit failure indication on the obc is cleared by replacing the switch located above the brake pedal.

The clutch pedal squeaks and moves laterally due to worn bushings. Replace with delrin af bushings.

The clutch slave cylinder is a high fail component. Replace it and bleed the clutch system before dropping large cash on a clutch job.

Flush and bleed the brake fluid every two years.

Flush and bleed the cooling system every two years. Use bmw coolant and distilled water 50/50 mix.

Replace the thermostat housing with an aluminum aftermarket.

There are no adverse effects of using synthetic fluids at any mileage.

The shifter can be replaced with a short shift kit using oem bmw parts.

Wheel offset means the number of millimeters the mounting surface is from the centerline of the rim.

Buy a quality clicker type torque wrench.

Buy a bentley manual.

Batteries fail when the weather turns cold or when the glove box light doesn't shut off due to poor fitment.

Belt tensioner and idler pullies fail and make hideous noises.

Buy a set of blitz rhino ramps.

Mobil 1 synthetic engine oil is available at wal-mart for cheap.

Distilled water is in the water aisle at the grocery store.

Buy a quality floor jack.

Buy quality jack stands.

Buy wheel chocks.

Buy a fire extinguisher.

Torque wheel bolts to spec. To avoid rotor warp.

Establish a good relationship with the parts guy at the local bmw dealer or with your mechanic.

Tip said parts guy.

Clutch judder is normal in traffic jams due to hot clutch plates

dont buy lexus type rear lights, its not big nor clever!

Does my car have lsd? Solution; get in some dirt or sandy pavement(as not to abuse the car) and spin the damn tires, or jack the rear up and turn one rear wheel and see if the other spins the same way.

Yellowing and faded plastic headlight covers can be restored by using mequiars #10 and #17 clear plastic cleaner and polish

the dealer will try to screw you! If there are no independent bimmer mechanics in your area, leave a jar of vaseline or ky with the dealership service manager along with your keys

the check engine light is usually caused by the o2 sensor but there may be other reasons for it to be set off

the little o with ridges around it are the brake pad sensors. They are in the lf and rr

the e36 does have a 'natural' lean when driverless and looked at from behind

dtm tips were invented by osama bin laden....don't support terrorism

obd2 cars cannot be 'chipped' there must be a software download, i.e. You have to send your ecu to have it programmed or have a "shark injector" to do this.

Chips and 'sharked' downloads merely advance the ignition timing and will not make your car beat a corvette

e36's are not drag cars, due to their diff ratios. If an integra beats you, your stoopid azz deserves it, buck up and buy a new rear differential with limited slip

larger rims, speaker boxes & large tail pipes will add weight and slow down your car although you think louder means it's moving faster

when you hear a "thunk" from the middle of the car, it's probably the guibo. (flex disk)

when you hear a "thunk" from the back of the car, it's probably the rear shock mounts. (rsms)

if it's cold and you have trouble starting the car, you probably have a cold starting problem.

$tealer survival list includes: Credit card with high credit limit, etk & tis, an attorney, and vaseline or ky your choice (they make a nice warming gel now)

q: I just changed my spark plugs now i'm getting rough idle.
A: Gee, could it be the new platinum+4 spark plugs you just put in?

Rtfm - read the farking manual!

The *ding* you hear when it is cold out means it is cold out, duh! (dings at 38f)

325/328/m3 exhausts are interchangeable. 318 are not. The m3 exhaust is heavy!!!

Buy an genuine bmw water pump

all most all shifter rods (not the linkage, but the rod itself) are interchangable among bmws euro m3 & z3 shifters are short throw shifters

have all rear bushings inspected regularly on 325's

oil the seats regularly

if your seat stops reclining, the plastic gear has broken inside, look on line order it for $40

there is a moonroof available but it is very expensive & adds more weight to the car = less hp

if you want nitrous, you've bought the wrong car but can be done, you can also put sand in your crank case one is just a little faster at destroying your motor than the other...

The value of a car does not increase with mods by any logical amount

it's a bmw and more than likely its not a rare one...it will depreciate

yes, red cars are faster

this car will not get you laid, you do have to have some personality & a good bar tab

a faulty seatbelt sensor will cause the srs warning light to stay on

not closing the gas cap all the way will cause an engine warning light just about every time.

Once you take the dashboard apart you will never get the glove box door to line up perfectly again.

Before disconnecting the battery. Make sure you write down the radio code or have the radio code card that comes in the owners manual.

The most popular setup of aftermarket name brand shocks for the e36 are h&r springs w/ bilstien shocks/struts.

The tire in the trunk helps to maintain a near 50-50 weight ratio. If you decide to auto-x the car, you may want to leave the spare tire in the car & just run less amounts of gas in the tank.

For obdi e36's you can use the pedal trick to get the fault codes. For obdii, you will need a code reader.

If you find oil in your spark plug well, most likely cause is that your valve cover gasket is leaking.

You can "double lock" your doors by turning your key all the way to the right from the drivers side door and all the way left from the passenger side door.

The two significant problems on the early 318's were the profile gasket (which is not a head gasket) and the bad valeo alternators

pulsating headlights usually indicates your voltage regulator or alternator needs changing

the profile gasket affected only the m42 engines

the 318's have had 3 separate belt and pulley configurations between the m42 and m44

cold air intakes do not work as well for the 318, the mafs don't recognize it.

Altezza tailights were created by satan himself...do not support raw evil

chips do work, but the wont make your car wheelie like herbie the luv bug it will simply increase your ignition timing for a more robust/smoother torque curve

Originally Posted by DEATH2000

Isnt the drivers side supposed to sit slightly higher so that when you sit in it, it evens out? But an inch is exessive.

Originally Posted by jonesin

+1

Honestly, I think this is a myth. Ride height is determined by the springs, and the left and right springs do not have individual part numbers on the E36, just front & rear. That and the fact that my car never had a lean when it was on the stock suspension.

Originally Posted by ZeGerman

Honestly, I think this is a myth. Ride height is determined by the springs, and the left and right springs do not have individual part numbers on the E36, just front & rear. That and the fact that my car never had a lean when it was on the stock suspension.

Well deal with it, because it's true.

I've had three or four different master tech's mention it.

Originally Posted by Moeman10

Well deal with it, because it's true.

I've had three or four different master tech's mention it.

I still don't believe it. It's not like everything a master technician says is true, either. Nobody has ever been able to produce empirically validated information on this topic. All that has ever been said is people claiming someone else told them it was so, or they refer to some other internet forum. Yes, there could be difference in the spring perches, but this is highly unlikely because altering the spring perch would also alter the spring compression. From an engineering standpoint, it does not make any sense to design a side-specific spring perch and then use the same height/rate springs on both sides of the car. Rather, if different spring perches were to be used, I'm sure BMW engineers would have also designed springs which were specific to each side of the car. Alas, they have not.

Also, there has not been a single example provided which shows any actual dimensional differences between the left and right struts. Not in the history of the internet, and not in any official BMW technical literature (to my knowledge). It's all "my mechanic said this" and "this forum says so".

You guys gotta go with what's logical. There is nothing about the stock E36 suspension which suggests that one side is higher than the other.

Originally Posted by ZeGerman

Honestly, I think this is a myth. Ride height is determined by the springs, and the left and right springs do not have individual part numbers on the E36, just front & rear. That and the fact that my car never had a lean when it was on the stock suspension.

Not sure if it's true or not, but I suppose the ride height could be increased on the drivers side by altering the spring perch, not necessarily the spring.

Originally Posted by Moeman10

Well deal with it, because it's true.

I've had three or four different master tech's mention it.

What did they say in regards to how much higher the drivers side is supposed to be? Where did they say the measuring point was, ground to top of wheel arch?

Measuring point IIRC was top of fender arch to ground.


and the difference is 1/4 inch.

Id check for someone doing the Hazzard County sh!t in your car.


REMOVE any cheap suspension component and replace with REPUTABLE PARTS.
Then, get a PROPER Alignment done and tire/tyre inspection.

Take pictures BEFORE, and AFTER from ALL ANGLES.
Come back, and post pictures.

We'll take a look.
Cheers!

^ I've always thought the same.. Especially since the rear springs are interchangeable with each other, and so are the fronts.. sooo if you swap sides, the car will lean to the left?

Edit: this is meant to add to karls post

what about natural weight design of the car? IE the driverside weighs slighly less than the passenger?

anyways OP check everything, if your not low just peeking you head under the rear bumper may tell you all you need to know.

Originally Posted by Poorboysracing

what about natural weight design of the car? IE the driverside weighs slighly less than the passenger?

While technically possible, this idea is highly unlikely, and has never been verified by or even alluded to by anyone. And when you tear down an E36 to a bare shell, nothing indicates that this is remotely plausible. Then there is the fact that E36s were sold in different markets, with both RHD and LHD.

Maybe people just say that because the gas tank is on the passenger side?

Only the filler neck is on the passenger side. The fuel tank itself is centered under the rear seat.

dude karl you are prepped for this! GO GO GO GO!!!

this is a sicnes on e36s. some people say its becouse of batarie put on the back, but overal it is ur suspension problem. some of the bushes and links may me worn more what results in this problem, its always like that, when the weight is being put on the back, one side ( wekest links) will give more than other. unless u are going to change the whole suspension links, bushes joints etc, than there is no point to worie about.

grow up, man. there is no need for all your bull****!
i said, that if the car leans to the left or to the right, its nothing to do with the drivers position or batteries position, its because suspention on that side is weaker than in other side, and MOSTLY it will show up more than normally, when weight is added on the car!